On February 27, 2014 a party of about twenty devotees from Padayatra India, led by Acarya Dasa, walked from Lord Jagannath’s temple in Rajapur to the Candrodaya Mandir in Mayapur. The six oxen and the Deity cart were beautifully decorated with colorful ribbons and flower garlands for this momentous event: this marked the return of Padayatra Indiato Mayapur after ten long years. Two wonderful events had taken place at the time of each one of their arrivals–the installation of the large Panca-Tattva Deities in March 2004 and the Silver Jubilee of the Navadvipa Parikrama at the beginning of the year.
esides the Deity cart and the oxen, the procession included a tractor and two trolleys which transported Srila Prabhupada’s books and carried padayatris’ luggage, kitchen equipment and fodder for the animals. A small group of devotees who participated in the Gaura Purnima festival welcomed the triumphant, transcendental pilgrims at Yoga Pitha with a joyous kértana. Following the two Mayapur elephants, Vishnupriya and Laksmipriya, the party kept swelling as it got closer to the Nama-Hatta building where Lokanath Swami, Padayatra Worldwide Minister, and a large group of devotees were awaiting the padayatris with kértana, garlands and joyous cheers. Along the way several residents offered obeisances,
After entering the compound through the main gate, the crowd and the kirtana intensified in front of Gaur-Nitai located in the small temple near Srila Prabhupada’s hut. Most devotees do not know that these Deities had travelled for numerous months with Padayatra India from September 1984 tillGaura Purnima 1986, after which they were transcendentally “kidnapped” by Jayapataka Swami. But that is another story…which you’ll be able to catch up on in the upcoming Padayatra Story book.
The deity cart was stationed in front of Govinda’s restaurant, a very convenient place for visitors who could peacefully attend the greeting of the Deities, guru-puja and the various daily aratis. The cart remained there for the entire duration of the Gaura Purnima festival, except in the evenings when it was taken around the campus, and on Saturday nights when it accompanied the elephant procession. The oxen needed some rest after months of hard work on the road, and intense emotions, especially for one ox. I’m certain Lord Nrsimhadeva had an affectionate thought for Balaram, the white ox who had been saved in extremis from the slaughterhouse while travelling in Punjab. One night he was stolen from the padayatra camp. The padayatris had searched for him everywhere, but in vain. They had offered heartfelt prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva in Mayapur to protect him. Finally, with the help of the police, they had discovered thathe had been stolen by some Muslims and sold to a slaughterhouse. They arrived there in the nick of time. A few minutes later, and Balaram would surely have been dead
During the festival the oxen stayed in nearby fields or at the goshala. When the devotees brought them near the Deity cart they became instant celebrities and the target of many photos, films and pats from the most daring ones. Most visitors, especially those from Bengal, had never seen such impressive and majestic oxen. They all belonged to the famous Kankrej breed from Gujarat, recognizable for their towering, and also dangerous, horns. Istadeva Dasa, a previous Padayatra India leader, had a sign printed and placed near the cart, giving the public more information about the purpose of padayatra, and inviting onlookers to offer support and donations.
Besides taking a well-deserved break from the demanding pace on the road, the padayatris attended all the exciting programs of the Gaura-Purnima festival, the Kirtana-Mela, the Maha-Abhisheka of the Panca-Tattva, Ratha-Yatra, and various seminars and cultural programs. But walking, chanting and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books is in their blood, and they walked with great pleasure for the seven days of the 25th Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama. On the first day of the parikrama they took the small Gaura- Nitai inside the temple and led a fired-up kirtana there.
Even though I hadn’t been feeling too well for a few weeks, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity of finally meeting the padayatris. After having heard and written so much about them, I was delighted to see their faces and witness their enthusiasm and determination to pursue Lord Caitanya’s mission despite all obstacles and difficulties. Thus one morning we held a short gathering near the Padayatra cart and shared some maha-prasada cake. One of my concerns was how to keep receiving reports and photos after the departure of Krsna Sudama Dasa.
The presence of the Padayatra India Party during the entire Gaura Purnima festival certainly increased the general appreciation for this project and as a result our Padayatra party grew to eighteen with the addition of two new Indian devotees – Madan Gopal Hari Dasa from Bengal and Bhakta Prashant from Maharashtra. We hope it will inspire more devotees from other nations to also get on the road and spread the holy names from a bullock cart in their own countries. The ever smiling and beaming face of Candra Vamsi Dasa, the pujari distributing caranamrita from the cart, is a living testimony to the blissful and transcendental nature of Padayatra.
